McKinstry - Streeter Family

These guys were just fantastic to work with. I just love being invited to shoot for families who obviously love each other very much. It's such an honor. And I totally fell in love with Jessica's green ruffle shirt. Doesn't she look just fabulous and her little baby bump is just adorable!













Happy, happy little Caroline with some raspberries for me!

Karen & Chris + Baby on the Way!

Spent the evening with this adorable couple, the baby on the way, and a few thousand bugs. They were troopers through it all. Such a nice young couple and they are waiting for the birth to learn if it's a girl or boy. I must admit, I'm kind of excited to hear what they're having too. Gonna be cute either way though, just look at them. I'm calling brown eyes!!!!

My Kiddos

I first started this blog a few years ago primarily to document the growth of my kids. Recently it's taken on a different focus as a way to share the memories of the families I work with. Families that choose to have me capture them on a certain day of their lives. And I must say that it's a privilege like no other. I still manage to shoot my own kids, although it is more like torture than the pleasure I get from shooting your families. I have to work 10 times harder to get anything remotely decent from my kiddos. It's just not a pretty scene. But I do it, and I continue to ask myself why every time. But it is what it is - I value the images I do get so much that I would not want to quit. They are only this small for a few years. These were taken on Mother's Day this year. Before the onslaught of black flies here in NH and I must admit, I am glad I beat them to it this year. I couldn't imagine my kids trying to do this for me and dealing with the black flies as well. That would just not be worth it.

Baby Corbin!

I love playing around with digital files and digital artwork. Truth be told, I don't do it much and would love to have more time to play. There just aren't enough hours in the day. These could be 4 separate 12x12 squares or one large composite. Just having some fun. This little man's mumma ordered her digital files so she can have fun making stuff on her own. It's a highlight of mine - receiving cards(like Christmas cards or birth announcements) that people have made with the purchase of their digital files.

The Friend Family

Spent the evening with these guys out at Loon Lake in the Newport/Croyden area. Their family has a camper out there and spend their summers swimming, boating and playing. Mum and dad even got married out there 12 years ago. It was super fun and I even got to see a black bear on my way home. The first one I've seen in the wild since moving to NH 6 years ago.

What to Wear!!!!

Ever wondered about what to wear for your portrait sessions? One thing I request from my families is that they don't come uniformly dressed. In each family, everyone is different so I firmly believe that we need to be able to express some of that in our portraits and feel good doing it. Despite what most people think, we can mix patterns and colors - but we have to keep some of it in check. Below is a gathering of outfits I found online at Old Navy. By no means do I advocate for spending hundreds of $$$$$ on outfitting the family for pictures. You probably have many pieces in your closet that would work just fine. But here's an example of putting some outfits together - with a few more options for mum and daughter - incorporating color and patterns. Hope this helps a little. And with any luck I'll have some more posts like this as the seasons change.

Baby Corbin

Sometimes newborn sessions are hit or miss. So much goes into the session and so much depends on whether or not we can get the baby to sleep - and sleep heavily. Baby Corbin slept ok, but he was pretty particular on how he wanted to be. He did not like having his legs tucked up underneath him so we had to work around that - I made him mad quite a bit but he settled down just as easily. Just an incredibly beautiful baby boy.

SHS Prom 2011 - Tess & James

I was so lucky this past weekend - I got to shoot this gorgeous couple before they went to the prom. And not only that but I got to shoot at this super cool location - "In The Garden Greenhouses" owned and operated by Tom and Jean Petrin. It's special people like them that really help make our sessions the best they can be. So thank you Tom and Jean. And please, if you are in the market for some plants or garden ornaments this spring pay them a visit. They have great inventory. On another note Tess' hair was done by Luann at the Locksmyth Salon on Washington Street - it just looked amazing.



















This little gal wasn't realy impressed that we were not playing with her. So she blessed us:



Such love from Mumma!

The Baker/Sipes Family

I don't really know where to begin with this crew. I moved from Australia at 17 to attend college and being so young without my family near was a scary thing. Two families in Charleston really stepped up and supported me during my college days - these guys were one of those families. And for that I am truly grateful. They made my days at EIU so very special. I am so blessed to be able to shoot for them. It's just another wonderful experience we can share together.